American Black Bear
Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Family | Ursidae |
| Genus | Ursus |
| Species | Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780 |
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Trogloxene
- Realm
- Terrestrial
Distribution
Range
Known from six counties across four states.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee
Counties
- Arkansas
- Searcy, Stone
- Indiana
- Lawrence, Monroe
- Kentucky
- Edmonson
- Tennessee
- Blount
Conservation and management
IUCN Red List
LC Least Concern
Assessed in 2016.
NatureServe
G5 Secure
National ranks
- Canada
- N5 Secure
- United States
- N5 Secure
Subnational ranks
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- S5 Secure
- Saskatchewan
- S5 Secure
- British Columbia
- S5 Secure
- Ontario
- S5 Secure
- Alberta
- S5 Secure
- Manitoba
- S5 Secure
- New Brunswick
- S5 Secure
- Quebec
- S5 Secure
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Northwest Territories
- S5 Secure
- Yukon
- S5 Secure
- Prince Edward Island
- SX Presumed Extirpated
- Nova Scotia
- S5 Secure
- Nunavut
- SU Unrankable
- Missouri
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Vermont
- S5 Secure
- Nevada
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Kentucky
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Virginia
- S4 Apparently Secure
- New Hampshire
- S5 Secure
- Tennessee
- S3 Vulnerable
- Arizona
- S5 Secure
- Washington
- S5 Secure
- Connecticut
- S5 Secure
- Montana
- S5 Secure
- Utah
- S3 Vulnerable
- Arkansas
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Colorado
- S5 Secure
- New York
- S5 Secure
- Kansas
- SX Presumed Extirpated
- Navajo Nation
- S5 Secure
- South Carolina
- S5 Secure
- Nebraska
- SX Presumed Extirpated
- Maryland
- S3 Vulnerable
- Mississippi
- S2 Imperiled
- Maine
- S5 Secure
- Texas
- S1 Critically Imperiled
- Illinois
- SX Presumed Extirpated
- West Virginia
- S5 Secure
- California
- SNR Unranked
- Georgia
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Ohio
- S1 Critically Imperiled
- Delaware
- SX Presumed Extirpated
- Minnesota
- SNR Unranked
- Wisconsin
- S5 Secure
- Pennsylvania
- S5 Secure
- Oklahoma
- S3 Vulnerable
- North Carolina
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Oregon
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Michigan
- S5 Secure
- Idaho
- S3 Vulnerable
- Indiana
- SX Presumed Extirpated
- Massachusetts
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Louisiana
- S3 Vulnerable
- North Dakota
- S1 Critically Imperiled
- Florida
- SNR Unranked
- New Jersey
- SNR Unranked
- Rhode Island
- SX Presumed Extirpated
- Alaska
- S5 Secure
- New Mexico
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Iowa
- SX Presumed Extirpated
- Alabama
- S2 Imperiled
- Wyoming
- S5 Secure
- South Dakota
- S1 Critically Imperiled
- District of Columbia
- SX Presumed Extirpated
Ranks looked up 2 July 2026. Conservation status changes, and a rank here is as current as that date and no more.
State and federal status
Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
References
- Banta, A.M. 1907. The fauna of Mayfield's Cave. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 67: 1–114. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/60987. details
- Dunivan, J.D., Tumlison, C.R. & McDaniel, V.R. 1982. Cave fauna of Arkansas: further records. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 36: 87–88. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol36/iss1/28. details
- Linzey, D.W. 1995. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park - 1995 update. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111: 1–81.
- Linzey, D.W. 2016. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 2016 revision. Southeastern Naturalist 15, Monograph 8: 1–93.
- Wallace, R.L. 1984. Biological survey report of Great Smoky Mountains National Park caves. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S. National Park Service, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA. 33 pp.
- Wallace, R.L. 1990b. Biological survey report of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park caves. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S. National Park Service, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA. 34 pp.
This account was last revised 6 September 2026. Conservation ranks were looked up 2 July 2026.
How to cite this account
Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780. Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-3041. https://cavebiology.org/species/ursus-americanus/ (accessed 22 October 2026).
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
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